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Hyper-V VM migration in 5 steps

Hyper-V Virtual Machine Migration

Requirements: • Compatible Server (Windows 2008 Server DC Edition w/Hyper-V)• Method of connecting from Source server to Destination Server.• Source and Destination server must reside on the same VLAN. (For easy migration) Should they not reside on the same VLAN Re-IP’ing of the Virtual Machine will be necessary which will require an open Support ticket.• Virtual Machines must have working network uplinks and working/supported Software installed.

Summary:

The two most common reasons why you may need to relocate your Hyper-V Virtual Machine: The VM is on hardware that is not functioning properly, or the current host server is running low on resources. In either event, the Hyper-V migration can be completed rather quickly if you have the requirements listed above and follow the steps below.

Step 1:

Login to the Source server and open your Hyper-V Manager Screen and select the Virtual Machine you would like to migrate to the Destination Server, the screen should be similar to the one below:

Step 2:

Gracefully shutdown the virtual machine you wish to migrate. Then select the Export option under the Server actions list, the screen should be similar to the one below:

The Export option will then ask you the desired location for the export file; in this example we have chosen the Desktop.

Step 3:

Now using RDP on our Source server we can login to the Destination server with our C: drive mounted in order to bring the file over, the screen should be similar to the one below:

In our example, “Romeo” is the Source server and we are logging into “Romeo2” which is our Destination server. Note: We are transferring the file via a resource mount through RDP, you can choose the transfer method that is most comfortable to you for this process (Windows Sharing, Resource mount via RDP, FTP, etc.)

Step 4:

Now that we have our exported file on the Destination server we will make sure it is in the default location for Hyper-V Virtual Hard Disks or “VHD’s” and import it. The default location is C:\Users\Public\Documents\Hyper-V\Virtual hard disks , if you have changed this default location and are not sure of what it was, you can always select the “Hyper-V Settings” link on the Home page for Hyper-V Manager. Just above the “Hyper-V Settings” link you will find the “Import Virtual Machine” link, the screen should be similar to the one below:

Step 5:

Once you locate the Exported file and click the Import button, seconds later the Virtual Machine will be populated into your Hyper-V Manager with all configurations and files it had previously. If the conditions listed at the beginning of this Walkthrough were met the server will now be online and working. If your server did not match the requirements above and the destination server resides in a different VLAN you will need to Re-IP the virtual machine with a Portable Subnet (Routed as Secondary on VLAN). The final result should be similar to the one below: